Mail-bag holder.



No..720,097. PATENTED FEB. 10, 1903.

D. s. BALDWIN, 1

MAIL BAG HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 19, 1902.

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.Hdi v sz V "7% an by I I flax-gays NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID S. BALDWIN, OF OAKPARK, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-BAG HOLDER.

ZIIPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,097, dated February 10, 1903. Application filed March 19. 1902. Serial No. 98,950. (Nomodeh) To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, DAVID S. BALDWIN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Oakpark, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Mail- Bag Holder, of which the following is a specification. This invention has for its object the production of a device whereby mail-bags are supported in a position convenient for the reception of the mail-matter; and the invention consists in the construction of a device whereby the mail-bag may be quickly and readily arranged with its mouth open and supported in that position to receive the mail-matter and readily and quickly removable when required.

The invention further consists in certainnovel features of construction, all as hereinafter shown and described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

' In the drawings illustrative of the. invention, Figure l is a sectional view. of the device, together with a portion of a mail-bag supported thereby. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the bag-supporting means detached. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the locking-frames detached.

The device is adapted to be used in postoflices,railway mail-cars, newspaper and'publishing offices, and wherever mail-bags are employed.

Mail-bags are generally supported by hooks engaging longitudinally-spaced bars, preferably tubular to combine strength with lightness, supported by standards at suitable intervals, and my improvement is more particularly applicable to mail-bag supports of that character, although it may be applied to other constructions, and I do not,therefore, wish to be limited to any special structure. For the purpose of illustration, however, I have shown the invention applied to'a mailbag holder of the usual construction, consisting of the tubular supports spaced apart, sections of which are shown at 5 6,;with a portion of an ordinary mail-sack disposed between thein and'represented at 7 and with the usual draw-cord S, laced through the eyelets 9. Loosely engaging the supports 5 6 at intervals are rings 10, each having an eye 11 thereon and each eye supporting a depending pin 12, the pins engaging the eyes loosely. Supported beneath each of the supports 5 6 at a short distance therefrom are casings 13 14, each casing having a series of transverse slots 15 in their upper parts or immediately beneath the supports 5 6. These casings, which in theaccompanying drawings have been shown as consisting of inverted- U -shaped rails constructed of sheet metal or other suitable material, practically constitute locking devices to receive and retain the supporting-pins 12, as will be presently described. The pins 12 are adapted to enter the slots 15 by their lower free ends when in their downward position, as shown in Fig. 1, and are designed to also engage a number of the eyelets'15 in the mail-bag, as shown in Fig. 1, by which means the mail-bag is connected to the supporting means.

As many of the pins 12 and their connected rings 10 may be employed for each bag as required; but generally two on each side will be sufficient.

In attaching the mail-bag to the supporting means the bag is opened out and the proper number of the eyelets 9 threaded upon the corresponding pins 12 and the lower free ends of the pins then inserted down into the nearest of the apertures 15. Then the bag will hang suspended between the bars 5 6 and the casings 13 14, and the strains being all downward the pins will firmly retainthe bag in place, and no amount of downward strain will release them. If the bag is subjected to any upward strain, however, as in the act of removing the bag from the framework, the upper edge of the bagin rising will engage the eyes 11 and cause the rings 10 to revolve upon the bars 5 6 and draw the pins 12 out of the apertures 15 and release the bag. Thus in releasing the bag it is only necessary to grasp the two ends of the drawcord which are engaged by the clamp and draw them upward, which action causes the cord to draw through the eyelets and contract the mouth of the sack and at the same time draw the bag upward and cause the upper edge of the bag to act upon the rings 10 and release the pins from the frame 14, as before described. By this means the same ICC movement which serves to close the bag by drawing upon the draw-cord also releases the bag from itssupport and does not, therefore, require two motions to accomplish the removal of the bag and eifect its closure. The movement, moreover, can be accomplished with one hand only where the bags are not too heavily loaded to be handled by one hand, and when the bags are too heavy to be handled by one hand both hands are free to be employed in handling the bag.

The device is very simple and effective and results in the saving of much valuable time, which is an important consideration in handling mail. The device also results in great saving of labor, as it requires the expenditure of much less energy to handle mailbags by means of this device than by the devices heretofore in use.

The bars 5 6 and casings 13 may be of any length to accommodate any number of bags in the same manner as in the mail-bag supports now in use.

The improvement may be readily applied to the mail-bag holders now in use without material alteration and without adding materially to the expense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A mail-bag support comprising longitudinal supporting-bars, pins loosely connected with said supporting-bars and inverted- U-shaped casings disposed below the supporting-bars and having slots to receive the locking-pins.

2. A mail-bag support comprising supporting means, rings revolubly mounted thereon and having eyes, pins having eyes engaging the eyes of the revoluble rings, and locking means having slots for detachable engagement with the free ends of said pins, substantially as set forth.

3. A mail-bag support comprising supporting means, locking means arranged underneath the same and comprising casings having slots formed therein, and pins loosely connected with the supporting means and adapted to be detachably connected at their free ends with the locking means by the slots in the latter, substantially as set forth.

4. In a mail-bag support, the combination of longitudinal supporting-rods, rings mounted upon said rods and revoluble thereon, pins connected loosely with said rings, and inverted- U -shaped casings arranged underneath the supporting-rods and having slots therein adapted to receive the free ends of the pins, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID S. BALD WIN.

Witnesses:

H. WILLIAMSON, AMo E. WALTHER. 

